Auxiliary for highway guards



Align 1936- D. R. WATERMAN 2,050,027

AUXILIARY FOR HIGHWAY GUARDS Filed Dec. 29, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 4, l93. D. R. WATERMAN AUXILIARY FOR HIGHWAY GUARDS Filed Dec. 29, 1935 2 Sheets-Shget 2 [Tl/06 M072 .DE/V/SON E. MqTA-EM/w,

Patented Aug. 4, 1936 PATENT OFFWE AUXILIARY FOR HIGHWAY' GUARDS Denison R. Waterman, St. Paul, Minn, assignor to-The' American Steel and Wire Company of New Jersey, a corporation of New Jersey Application December 29, 1933, Serial No. 704,570

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a novel auxiliary for posts, and more particularly to steel posts such as are used to support highway guard cables, although not limited thereto.

It has been almost universally recognized, for some time past, that steel. posts, such as those of the favored U-shaped construction, are decidedly superior to wooden posts. Steel posts of the type described will not, of course, rot, splinter, nor give way as readily'under' impact forces as those composed of wood. -In addition, they are much: easier to handle and install. However, there is an inherent disadvantage in the use of steel posts for guard cables, in that they are not so readily observed as wooden posts. This is for the reason that the latter are a great deal bulkier, and are usually provided with con- 'spicuously painted upper extremities.

One object of the present invention is the provision of a novel auxiliary for steel posts which will decidedly increase its visibility. That is to say, the present invention makes the usual type of U-shaped highway cable guard post, as an example, even more visible than those of bulkier wooden construction.

Another object is to provide a novel device of the class described which is cheap and easy to manufacture, and one which can be very readily installed on existing types of posts.

These and other objects will be apparent after referring to the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a somewhat conventional type of highway guard cable together with its supporting posts.

Figure 2 is an end view on the line IIII of Figure 1 and disclosing the use of one of the devices of the invention.

Figure 3 is a plan of the construction of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an elevation similar to Figure 2, but disclosing a modified form of the invention. Figure 5 is a plan of the device of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a complete elevation of a further modification.

Figure 7 is an elevation of still another modification of the invention.

Figure 8 is a plan of the modification of Figure 7.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 2 designates a conventional type of U-shaped post which is rapidly coming into wide usage for supporting highway guard cables. The post 2 is provided with the usual flanges 3, and has one or more apertures 4 along the bottom of its cross-section for enabling the attachment thereto of the various elements for supporting the highway guard cables.

A filler block 5 is provided for attachment to the flanges 3'of the posts 2, and is contoured as at 6 in order to make intimate contact therewith. The filler block 5' is provided with apertures 'i and 8 arranged in such manner as to allow cooperation with a bolt Shaving a curved-portion I8. The shank of the bolt extends through the aperture I and the extremity of the curved portion I8 seats'in the aperture 8. The usual steel highway guard cable II is made to pass through the curved-portion I!) of thebolt 9 and to be securely held thereto.

The novel visibility increasing device of the invention comprises what might be termed a flag plate I2 having an upper portion I2 of substantial width and a tapered lower portion I2 The flag plate I2 is also provided with a continuous right angled flange I3 running from top to bottom, and which is suitably apertured as at I4 to receive the extremity of the bolt 9 which is remote from the curved portion I0 and which is made to extend through the aperture 4 in the bottom of the U-shaped cross-section of the post 2. A nut I5 is threaded on the extremity of the bolt 9 which is adjacent the flange I3 of the flag plate I2, and serves to hold the cable II to the filler block 5, the latter to the flanges 3 of the post 2, and to support the flag plate on the opposite side thereof and at a substantial right angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the cable.

Referring to Figures 4 and 5, the filler block 5 is contoured as at I6 in order to conform to the bottom portion of the U-shaped cross-section of the post 2, and a plate I! adapted to seat between the flanges 3. The plate I! is apertured as at I8 to receive the shank portion of the bolt 9. In practicing this form of the invention, the nut I5 on the threaded end of the bolt 9 holds the flange I3 of the flag plate I2 against the plate I'I, rather than against the bottom of the cross-section of the U-shaped post, as in Figures 2 and 3.

Referring to Figure 6, the flag plate I2 is shown as being rectangular in shape rather than tapered, as at I2 in Figures 2 and 4.

In Figure '7 of the drawings a further modification is disclosed as comprising a flag plate I9 which is of substantial rectangular shape but adapted to extend upwardly of the post 2. The plate I9 of this form of the invention is twisted on its lower end in such manner as to provide laterally extended portions 20, and is intermediately apertured on its twisted portion, as at 2!, to permit the bolt 9 to extend therethrough and to be secured to the bottom of the U-shaped cross-section of the fence post 2 by means of the nut I5.

It is to be noted that in. all forms of the invention the flag plates I2 and I9 extend in a direction at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the cable H, and thus promote the conspicuousness of the post, whether the filler block 5 be secured to the flanges thereof or to the bottom of the U-shaped cross-section. While the modification of Figure 7 provides for visibility above the upper extremity of the fence post, its use under certain circumstances would be prohibitive, in which case the triangular and rectangular forms of Figures 2 to 6 may be used below the top of the post.

If it is desired to use only one highway guard cable, and accordingly only one bolt 9, the attaching portions of the flag plates may be additionally secured to the posts 2 by means of bolts and nuts 22 and 22, respectively.

To further increase the visibility, or conspicuousness, of the post 2, the entire surfaces of the flag plates are preferably painted white, together with that length of the post with which it comes in contact, as indicated by the line A of Figures 2 and 6, and the line B of Figure 7.

While I have shown and described several specific embodiments of my invention, it will be understood that I do not wish to be limited exactly thereto, since various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of my invention, as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a barrier assembly for disposition between a thoroughfare and a restricted zone, a plurality of vertically disposed posts spaced at intervals along the thoroughfare, a continuous vehicle deflecting member extending between said posts to complete said barrier, said barrier normally being inconspicuous by day and practically invisible at night to transients upon said thoroughfare, a plurality of flag plates permanently and conspicuously afiixed to some of said posts, said flag plates being conspicuously designed and exhibited from their associated posts to render said barrier extraordinarily visible by day and by night, and to visibly define the extent thereof.

2. In a highway guard assembly, a plurality of posts constructed and arranged to withstand vehicular impact disposed in spaced relation along the margin of a thoroughfare, said posts being adapted to support a vehicle deflecting mem ber, a flag plate fastened to each of said posts, said flag plates each being in either of two dimensions substantially greater than any transverse dimension of any of the posts, the major axes of each of said flag plates and posts being substantially parallel, said plates extending in planes substantially normal to the median line of said thoroughfare and collectively functioning to improve the visibility of the posts, whereby the extent of the highway guard assembly and the marginal portions of the thoroughfare are clearly defined.

DENISON R. WATERMAN. 

